To contort means to twist your body, face, or something else into an unusual or unnatural shape. When you try to squeeze into a tight space under a desk, you might have to contort yourself, bending and twisting in uncomfortable ways. A gymnast or dancer contorts their body into positions most people can't manage, while someone tasting something awful might contort their face, scrunching up their nose and squinting their eyes.

The word implies a dramatic, often strained twisting that looks or feels abnormal. A pretzel is contorted dough. Tree branches might become contorted as they grow around obstacles. A contortionist is a performer who can twist their body into seemingly impossible shapes, tucking their legs behind their head or bending backward until their hands touch their feet.

You can also contort facts or words, twisting them to mean something different from the truth. When someone contorts the rules to benefit themselves, they're bending the meaning in unnatural ways to get what they want.